Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-05-14
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC SPIRIT

The gift by Judge Hilton to the Metro
politan Museum of Art, in New York, of a
valuable masterpiece OF art, and the gifts
of Judge Russell, Mr.. Vanderbilt, Miss
Wolfe and others to the same institution,
form the themes for long and congratula-
tory essays in all the New York press. The
museum referred to has become SO great
an institution, and its beneicent inHu-
encc is uch that every manifestation of
public spirit in its direction is hailed by
the Eastern press As Il direct contribution
to the elevation of the people.
II is in art galleries, public libraries and
museums that the people have profound
common interest. These contribute to the
pleasures and education of poor and rich
alike; their influences are not discrimi-
mating, and their benefits are as broad and
helpful to one as to another The multi
plication and growth of these institutions
mark the enlargement of American public
spirit. There is now scarcely any city of
Importance in the country that has not its
public art gallery, museum or library, and
in many Of them all three, the doors of
which are freely open to all the people.
Quite all these institutions, excepting
only the libraries collected by appropria-
ton of public funds, arc the result of the
benefactions of the rich. In this way
wealthy men and women have done the
world vast good. The erection of free
art galleries, and museums, and gymnasi-
ums, and scientific institutions, is Il means
to popular education; they enable the
masses to crafty Their tastes and en-
large their knowledge by inspection
lections and examples of the natural
history Of the globe, from which they
would otherwise be wholly excluded. Only
the few can possess complete libraries :;
only here and there can the people in
dulge in the refining, elevating and rest
full atmosphere of art CREATION very
rarely, indeed, are individuals so situated
as to be able to gather about them object
lessons in natural history. For these they
situations, and those cities and towns are
highly favored where such collections are
accessible by the general public. The
refinement and culture Of a people
are greatly aided by these influences, and
1t is for this reason that philanthropy and
public spirit find these fields for their ex-
ereise especially inviting.
In most great cities such provision for
the cultivation of the public taste is a
part and parcel of the community system
but in cities and towns of comparatively
small populations, unless wealth provides,
the public taste that is cultivable by art
galleries and museums and libraries is gen.
orally starved Those towns and cities,
therefore, that afford their youthful and
their adult population these opportunities
foster content, refine the tastes and better
the Intellectual and material condition of
their people. II was out of the need for
influences Of this character that the old
time village and town lyceum grew, giving
the people the opportunity to benefit by
lecture series and occasional object lessons
upon topics of knowledge, scarcely pos
sible to be illustrated otherwise than
through the medium of the panorama, the
simple mechanism of the magic lam
tern and the orrcry. But the march of
progress il printing and illustration ::
the worlds increasing wealth in engraving {;
the wonderful achievements in celestial
and terrestrial map making, and similar
educational devices, have supplanted the
panorama, diorama and illustrative astron-
omical mechanism, and quite pushed back
the simple magic lantern, which has done
so much in its way to instruct and to
broaden human intelligence. The lyceum
has given away to that better rostrum. the
press, and the newspaper and magazine
and illustrated scientific Journal are lee
turing with far more effect The art gall
leries, art schools, museums of natural his
tory, archaeology, mineralogy and anticq-
uity have become so numerous, and
public, scientific and association libraries
so plentiful, that with the wealth of Cheap
literature upon science, art, and the pro-
gresS of discovery and research there
is no longer excuse for any great degree of
public ignorance.
All these educating and refining institu-
tions, together with parks and recreation
grounds and gardens, have become means
of estimating the culture of society.
Strangers measure the refinement of COM
manity by the presence and maintenance
of these evidences of public taste.
Towns and cities are oftener commended
and their praises sounded for such tokens
OF intelligence and good taste than for the
possession of institutions devoted only to
the amusement and entertainment of the
people.
Cities that have been endowed as has
this, with an art gallery, and the founda-
ton Tor museum, possessed of fine pub
lie library, apublic art school, and favored
with the best of substructural educational
institutions, ought to cherish such endow
ments jealousy and constantly enlarge
the scope of their influence.
The completion of the removal of the
States collection of minerals -osI
the Capitol, to the city's art gallery. which
came TO it through the benefcence of n
public-spirited citizen, should renew the
interest in the effort of the unaided scien-
tific educational association in charge, to
build up here museum OF natural his
toy and collect examples of the resources